Southwest Lansing Initiative: Community Meeting #1
Date: Wednesday, June 15
Time: 5:30 PM - 8 PM
Place: Alfred Schmidt South Side Community Center, 5825 Wise Rd, Lansing, Michigan 48911
Present: Community members from SW Lansing and surrounding areas; Mayor Bernero; Bob Trezise and Gabriela Allum of LEAP; State Representative Andy Schor; Ingham County Commissioners Sarah Anthony, Vic Celentino, and Kara Hope; City Council members Adam Hussain, Kathie Dunbar, Jody Washington; Rachel Kuntzsch, Ashley Everhart, and Cal Coplai of Kuntzsch Solutions, Lansing Chamber of Commerce.
Project Overview: Available here.
Live Video: This event was live streamed by Wes Thorp of Bringing the Thunder to Southwest Lansing. The archive is available online.
Notifications: To be notified of upcoming meetings please send request to Gabriela Allum.
Introductions
Time: 5:30 PM - 8 PM
Place: Alfred Schmidt South Side Community Center, 5825 Wise Rd, Lansing, Michigan 48911
Present: Community members from SW Lansing and surrounding areas; Mayor Bernero; Bob Trezise and Gabriela Allum of LEAP; State Representative Andy Schor; Ingham County Commissioners Sarah Anthony, Vic Celentino, and Kara Hope; City Council members Adam Hussain, Kathie Dunbar, Jody Washington; Rachel Kuntzsch, Ashley Everhart, and Cal Coplai of Kuntzsch Solutions, Lansing Chamber of Commerce.
Project Overview: Available here.
Live Video: This event was live streamed by Wes Thorp of Bringing the Thunder to Southwest Lansing. The archive is available online.
Notifications: To be notified of upcoming meetings please send request to Gabriela Allum.
Introductions
- Bob Tresize of LEAP says the cavalry isn't coming over over the hill to help us anymore. (Economic development initiatives from the state are no longer available.) We need to grow and build from within which can be liberating. We need to grow from within, build our own small businesses and support entrepreneurs.
- Mayor Bernero says we want to be aspirational and we are ripe for development in Southwest Lansing. He says he puts out welcome mat and showcases South Lansing for businesses. But we are not communist China and business goes where it wants to.
- Council member Adam Hussain gives rousing speech of encouragement, asks us to believe change is possible, acknowledges the range of people here.
- Kathie Dunbar of South Lansing Community Development talking about history of similar visioning processes. She says the only way our voices can translate into action is if money follows. So we need to go after money. And if the money doesn't come to us we need to figure out what to do to with our own money, to support and create local businesses that we are willing to pay for.
- Cal Coplai of Kuntzsch Solutions provides overview of the project and gives instructions for community to provide feedback on posters around the room. The questions are provided below so that others who were not able to attend the meeting can provide input.